In an era of coalition politics, when the regional parties are gaining prominence in the political map of the country, surprisingly, in north eastern states, most of the regional parties which were the end product of long drawn movement or armed struggle are fast fading into oblivion.

Why did the SP, suddenly changed tack, and decide to support the UPA government, and save Manmohan Singh's nuclear deal? Because SP leadership is finally convinced that the Congress has become irreversibly irrelevant in UP, and should no longer be viewed as a threat. Marginalisation of Congress in UP, has actually helped it to gain supporters in Delhi, writes Swaminathan Aiyar in the Times of India